Rescue Under the Moon

Ever since that day he returned from the residence of Mito Uzumaki, the life of Uchiha Ling did not seem to undergo any earth-shattering changes. He

continued to attend the Ninja Academy every day, continued to crush all coursework with absolute superiority, and continued to tirelessly collect the emotion points provided by his classmates.

But certain things were indeed different.

His bond with Uzumaki Kushina had clearly deepened. That friendship, rooted in the perception of being "the same kind," had become even more solid under the tacit approval and subtle encouragement of Mito. They trained together, bickered together, and occasionally added a gentle Namikaze Minato to the mix; the trio gradually became a conspicuous sight on campus.

Uchiha Ling could sense that in the way Kushina looked at him, beyond the familiarity between friends, there seemed to be something else—something hazy and indistinct.

This caused the [Joy] and [Shyness] emotion points he collected from her to become more frequent.

However, beneath the tranquility of Konoha, undercurrents never ceased to surge. Although the dark clouds of the Third Shinobi World War had not yet fully gathered, friction and small-scale conflicts between nations had already been occurring from time to time.

The scramble for resources, the settling of old scores, and the coveting of dominance in future wars drove all factions to use any means necessary.

Uchiha Ling knew deeply how fragile this period of "peace" was.

He knew even better that, according to certain established "plots," conspiracies targeting important figures in Konoha had never ceased. Especially... the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

Mito Uzumaki was advanced in age, and the Nine-Tails within her needed a new vessel.

As an orphan of the Uzumaki Clan, possessing powerful vitality and the best compatibility with the Nine-Tails chakra, Kushina was almost the only choice.

Her importance was that of a future strategic weapon for Konoha, and for enemy nations, she was a target they dreamed of destroying or capturing.

Therefore, Uchiha Ling always kept a portion of his attention on Kushina's movements, on the perimeter security of the village, and on any anomalies that might arise.

Although the perception range of the Emotion System was limited, it could provide extraordinary early warnings for intense malice and killing intent.

On this day, night seemed to arrive earlier than usual. There was no moon in the sky, thick clouds obscured the starlight, and the entirety of Konoha was plunged into a gloomy darkness. An inexplicable sense of unease lingered in Uchiha Ling's heart.

He didn't even have time to think; his body reacted before his consciousness. His toes pushed hard against the ground, and his figure darted out of the courtyard like an arrow released from a bow, galloping toward the direction where that feeling of fear had vanished. He did not take the main gate, instead vaulting over the wall of the Uchiha compound and moving at high speed along the rooftops and shadows.

"System, lock onto the strongest source of fear, mark it continuously!" he commanded in his mind.

[Command received. Emotion source: Uzumaki Kushina (Extreme Fear). Tracking continuously... Target is moving at high speed, heading due west, about to exit the maximum perception range.] The system's cold voice provided timely feedback.

Exiting the range? No way!

Uchiha Ling poured chakra madly into his legs, and his speed soared once more. The night wind scraped against his cheeks, bringing a cold sensation. His brain worked at lightning speed.

Who was the enemy? Kumogakure? Iwagakure? How did they bypass Konoha's barrier and patrols to precisely locate and kidnap Kushina? Was there an inside man? Or did they use some special secret technique?

Now was not the time to think about these things! The primary task was to catch up to them and rescue Kushina!

He rushed out of the Konoha perimeter wall without hesitation. The two Chunin guarding the gate only felt a gust of wind sweep past; they didn't even see who it was.

One of them was about to shout a challenge, but the other pulled him back, shook his head, and pointed to the ground—a clear Uchiha clan crest was left on a kunai holster there. When members of the Uchiha Clan went on emergency missions, they sometimes left such marks.

"Someone from the Uchiha family? In such a hurry?" the gate-guarding Chunin muttered, but he chose to let them pass and report it immediately rather than block them.

Once outside the village, Uchiha Ling's speed increased further. His Sharingan provided excellent vision in the darkness, and he could clearly see the hurried footprints and occasionally broken branches left on the ground. Although the Emotion System's guidance began to blur, combined with these traces, it was enough for him to track them.

After chasing for about ten minutes, he had penetrated deep into the dense forest on the border of the Land of Fire. In the darkness ahead, the sound of hurried footsteps and suppressed panting finally drifted over.

"Hurry! Konoha's pursuers might arrive soon!" a hoarse voice growled. "This brat is struggling too hard, and her chakra is also strange; she almost broke free!" another voice complained. "Shut up! Watch her! This is important 'cargo'!"

Uchiha Ling's eyes sharpened, and he approached silently like a leopard. Through the gaps in the foliage, his Sharingan clearly saw the scene ahead:

Three ninjas wearing dark tight-fitting suits and Kumogakure forehead protectors were kidnapping a red-haired girl and fleeing at high speed. One of them was carrying Kushina, who seemed to be temporarily restrained by some technique and was struggling constantly, while the other two provided cover, one in front and one behind.

It really was Kumogakure! Their target was indeed Kushina!

Intense killing intent surged into Uchiha Ling's heart. But he forced himself to calm down. The three opponents, judging by their chakra fluctuations and movement speed, were at least at the level of Special Jonin, especially the one carrying Kushina, whose aura was the most gloomy and powerful. A head-on fight was by no means the best strategy.

He had to use his wits, strike with one blow, and prioritize saving Kushina!

Uchiha Ling quickly formed hand seals, and his figure split into two amidst a light puff of smoke.

One Shadow Clone continued to track in a straight line, creating obvious disturbances to attract the enemy's attention. Meanwhile, the main body used the cover of the dense canopy to circle toward the flank like a ghost.

"There's movement behind!" The Kumogakure ninja responsible for the rear guard immediately turned around in alarm.

"It's a pursuer! Only one? So fast!" another exclaimed.

"Take him out! Don't let him stall for time!" the lead Kumogakure ninja ordered, though he showed no intention of stopping his own pace.

The two Kumogakure ninjas immediately stopped and turned to face the charging Uchiha Ling (Shadow Clone). And just as their attention was drawn—

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

The massive fireball did not come from the Shadow Clone in the rear, but erupted violently from the canopy to the side, carrying a scorching heatwave as it precisely bombarded the Kumogakure leader carrying Kushina!

The angle of attack was extremely tricky, just enough to avoid Kushina's position.

"What?!" The leader clearly hadn't expected the attack to come from this direction; in his haste, he could only shove Kushina to the side and leap backward in a panic to dodge.

BOOM! The fireball slammed into the ground, exploding into massive flames and smoke, instantly illuminating the pitch-black forest.

Now!

Uchiha Ling's main body shot out from the canopy like lightning, lunging straight for Kushina, who had been pushed to the ground!

"Brat! You're courting death!" The Kumogakure leader realized what was happening, roared, drew the short blade from his back, and slashed at Uchiha Ling's back, wreathed in lightning! The speed was immense!

"Ling! Watch out!" When Kushina saw Uchiha Ling lunging toward her, her eyes first erupted with surprise, but then, seeing the attack behind him, she immediately let out a terrified scream.

At the critical moment! Uchiha Ling didn't even look back; his single-tomoe Sharingan spun wildly. Relying on his superior dynamic vision and prediction, his body tilted at an impossibly small angle. The lightning-clad short blade grazed his ribs, the force of the wind cutting through his clothes!

At the same time, the kunai in his hand had already precisely severed the chakra ropes binding Kushina!

"Go!" he barked, shoving Kushina toward a relatively safe direction.

But the very moment he pushed her away, the Cloud Village leader's second strike arrived! This time, it was a straight punch imbued with powerful Lightning Release chakra, moving at extreme speed!

He couldn't dodge it!

Uchiha Ling's pupils constricted sharply. The insight of his Sharingan captured the trajectory of the attack, but his body's reaction speed was a half-beat too slow! The absolute gap in strength was laid bare in this moment!

"Bang!"

The heavy Lightning Fist smashed fiercely into his chest!

"Urgh—!" Uchiha Ling spat out a mouthful of blood, his body flying backward like a kite with a broken string before slamming heavily into a large tree and collapsing to the ground. Sharp pain radiated from his chest—he had likely broken several ribs—and the invading Lightning Release chakra left his entire body paralyzed.

"Ling!" Kushina let out a heart-wrenching cry, wanting to rush over, but she was intercepted by the other two Cloud Village ninjas who had just finished off his Shadow Clones.

"Hmph! A brat with the Uchiha Sharingan? What a nuisance! But, this is the end!" The Cloud Village leader shook his fist, a cruel smile on his face as he stepped toward the struggling Uchiha Ling. "I'll start by gouging out those annoying eyes of yours!"

The intense pain, the paralysis, and the threat of death surged over him like a cold tide. Uchiha Ling's consciousness was even beginning to blur. Was he going to die here? Having transmigrated, possessing a system, and harboring grand ambitions, only to die so pathetically at the hands of a nameless extra?

No! Absolutely not!

He jerked his head up, his blood-stained lips curling into a ferocious arc. Within those black eyes, the One-Tomoe Sharingan spun frantically at an unprecedented speed!

An extreme emotional shock—fury at his own weakness! Hatred for the enemy's atrocities! And... seeing Kushina cry, a surge of intense, unprecedented will to protect her at any cost!

Protect! He must protect her! She must not be taken away! He must not die here!

A powerful torrent of emotion, nearly tearing his soul apart, shattered a certain boundary!

[Host emotional shock detected: Extreme Fury! Extreme Will to Protect! Extreme Killing Intent!] [Sharingan evolution conditions met...] [Mental energy rising rapidly...] [Sharingan evolving...]

Hum—!

It felt as if a string in his mind had snapped, or as if some shackle had been thoroughly pulverized!

A searing, burning sensation erupted from his eyes—far more painful than when he first awakened them—but it brought with it an incomparably powerful sense of strength! The world in his vision became clearer, the enemy's movements seemed to slow down, and the flow of chakra became clearer than ever before!

The Cloud Village leader's approaching footsteps, the hand he swung out to gouge his eyes—every detail seemed to be slowed down several times over!

The single tomoe in Uchiha Ling's eyes suddenly split and rotated at this moment, transforming into two pitch-black tomoe! Two-Tomoe Sharingan!

"What?! Evolving in the middle of battle?!" The Cloud Village leader was shocked, his movements faltering for a split second.

It was that very moment of hesitation!

"Die!" Uchiha Ling let out a low, beast-like roar, his paralyzed body seemingly driven by a surge of newfound strength. He didn't even weave hand signs; relying solely on the Sharingan's instinct to copy the opponent's movements and the chakra erupting within him, he instinctively mimicked the technique the enemy had just used!

"Lightning Style: Lightning Fist!"

On his fist, lightning crackled—far weaker than the opponent's, but more condensed and violent! This was not a simple imitation, but a brand-new strike optimized by the Sharingan and combined with his own chakra properties! He smashed it fiercely toward the Cloud Village leader, who was within arm's reach!

"Impossible!" The Cloud Village leader never expected that not only had his eyes evolved, but he could instantly copy and counter his own ninjutsu! In his haste, he could only barely raise his arms to block!

Boom!

Lightning flashed! Accompanied by the crisp sound of shattering bone!

"Ah—!" The Cloud Village leader screamed, his entire body sent stumbling back by the punch imbued with fury and the power of evolution. His entire arm hung at an unnatural angle, his face filled with horror and pain.

Seeing this, the other two Cloud Village ninjas could no longer afford to block Kushina and immediately rushed over to support their leader.

"Kill him! Kill him now!" The leader clutched his broken arm, screaming hysterically.

The Two-Tomoe Sharingan spun slowly. Uchiha Ling wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and slowly stood straight. The sharp pain in his chest remained, but it was suppressed by an even hotter power. His gaze was as cold as ten-thousand-year-old ice, and the two tomoe spinning within them emitted a heart-palpitating, sinister light.

The evolved Sharingan not only brought stronger insight and replication abilities but also granted him a bone-chilling killing intent and combat intuition.

He saw clearly the trajectories of the other two Cloud Village ninjas as they charged, and he saw their hand signs.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!" "Lightning Release: Earth Flash!"

Several small fireballs and a bolt of lightning snaking along the ground attacked simultaneously, sealing off all his angles of evasion.

If it were before, he might have only been able to take it head-on or dodge clumsily. But now...

Uchiha Ling's hands danced rapidly, his speed in weaving hand signs more than twice as fast as before!

"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"

A rotating wall of water appeared out of thin air, precisely blocking the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique. Water and fire collided, erupting into a massive cloud of steam that instantly obscured their vision.

And almost at the same time the Water Formation Wall was activated, his Sharingan had already predicted the trajectory of the Earth Flash. His body leaped slightly in advance, and at the same time, he spat out: "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

It was not a high-level ninjutsu, but it was used at the perfect moment! A gale swept up the dirt and fallen leaves from the ground, not only slightly deflecting the lightning of the Earth Flash but also blowing the pervasive steam violently toward the two Cloud Village ninjas!

"Cough, cough! I can't see!" "Watch out!"

Steam filled the air, obstructing their sight. But for Uchiha Ling, who possessed the Sharingan, the impact was minimal!

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Several kunai tied with explosive tags precisely pierced through the steam, flying toward the predicted positions of the two Cloud Village ninjas.

"Explode!"

Rumble—!

A violent explosion rang out, accompanied by two shrill screams.

The steam was scattered by the blast's shockwave. One of the two Cloud Village ninja had a leg blown off and lay on the ground wailing, while the other had been struck in the shoulder by a kunai, looking utterly wretched.

In just a single exchange, two special jonin-level Cloud Village ninja had been critically wounded!

This was the power of the Two-Tomoe Sharingan! Insight, replication, prediction, tactical combinations... his strength had undergone a qualitative leap!

The remaining Cloud Village leader saw this scene and felt his courage shatter. Clutching his severed arm, he stared at the boy slowly emerging from the steam and smoke, his eyes glowing with an ominous red light, as if he were looking at some kind of monster.

"Mon... monster! A monster of the Uchiha!" His voice trembled, stripped of its former arrogance.

Uchiha Ling ignored him, his gaze immediately shifting to the distant, frozen-in-fear Uzumaki Kushina. Only after confirming she was safe and sound did he lock his icy stare back onto the final enemy.

To cut the grass, one must remove the roots.

He walked toward the Cloud Village leader step by step, each footfall feeling like it was landing on the man's heart.

"Don't... don't come any closer! I can tell you who our..." The Cloud Village leader attempted to beg for mercy.

But Uchiha Ling gave him no such chance. His body turned into a blur once more, and the kunai in his hand traced a cold arc.

The Sharingan perfectly captured the slight stiffness the man exhibited due to his terror.

Squelch!

The kunai precisely sliced through his throat.

The Cloud Village leader's eyes widened; he clutched his spurting neck and collapsed slowly in disbelief.

Uchiha Ling didn't even glance at the corpse. He turned and walked toward the other two critically injured Cloud Village ninja, delivering a ruthless, fatal blow amidst their desperate gazes.

The forest returned to silence, leaving only the crackling of flames and the heavy scent of blood.

The battle ended quickly; from the moment of his evolution to the counter-kill, barely a minute or two had passed. Uchiha Ling stood amidst the three corpses, panting slightly. The pain in his chest flared up again, causing him to cough and spit out a mouthful of stagnant blood.

The Two-Tomoe Sharingan slowly faded, reverting to his ordinary black eyes, followed by a wave of intense weakness and soreness in his sockets. Yet, he forced himself to stand, refusing to collapse.

"Ling... Ling!" Only then did Uzumaki Kushina seem to wake from a nightmare. She ran over crying and threw her arms around him, her small body trembling violently from fear and lingering terror. "Are you okay? You're bleeding so much... I'm sorry, it's all because of me..."

Warm tears soaked Uchiha Ling's shoulder. He stiffened for a moment before slowly raising his hand to awkwardly pat her back.

"It's over now." His voice was hoarse from his injuries, but it carried a reassuring strength. "I told you, I would protect what is important. As long as you're safe, it's fine."

In this moment, what he collected were no longer scattered emotion points. Instead, he received the purest, most surging [Gratitude], [Reliance], [Survival], and a deeply branded emotion from the girl in his arms. The intensity of these feelings was so great that it temporarily drowned out the system's notifications.

In the distance, the sound of rapid movement through the air approached. The Konoha reinforcements had finally arrived. Leading them was Namikaze Minato, his face etched with anxiety, accompanied by several Anbu ninja.

When they saw the carnage—the three corpses of the Cloud Village ninja, Uchiha Ling standing tall despite his injuries and coughing blood, and Uzumaki Kushina clinging to him in tears—everyone was shocked.

Minato stepped forward quickly, his gaze sweeping over the scene, his eyes filled with disbelief and worry: "Ling! Kushina! You two..."

"The Cloud Village kidnapping squad has been dealt with," Uchiha Ling said calmly, as if he had only performed a trivial task. "Kushina was frightened, but she is unhurt."

An Anbu ninja examined the bodies, particularly the wounds on the leader, and gasped: "A single strike to kill... and there are traces of Lightning, Fire, Wind, and Water Style usage... did you do all of this alone?"

Uchiha Ling did not answer, merely nodding. A wave of extreme exhaustion washed over him, and his body swayed.

Minato immediately stepped forward to support him. Looking at his friend's pale face and blood-stained clothes, then at Uzumaki Kushina, who refused to let go of Ling, his azure eyes held complex emotions that eventually settled into deep admiration and a trace of imperceptible melancholy.

"Medical team! Hurry!" Minato shouted.

Before Uchiha Ling lost consciousness, the last things he saw were Uzumaki Kushina's tear-reddened, worried, yet resolute green eyes, and Minato's complex but sincere gaze.

A rescue under the moonlight, a bloody battle against strong foes, an evolution in the face of despair... after this night, the name Uchiha Ling would no longer be just a "genius student." He had officially stepped into the cruel world of ninja, and with his blood-stained Two-Tomoe Sharingan, he had announced his rise.

And the bond between him and Uzumaki Kushina had become profoundly deep and complex amidst this life-or-death crisis.